Regenerator for heating-furnaces.



J. COOPER. REGBNERATOR FOR HEATING FURNACES.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 14, 1913.

Patented J an. 12, 1915.

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J. COOPER.

REGBNERATOR. FOR. HEATING FURNACES.

APPLIGATI0KEILEDQQ -141 ].,124 593, I v Patented Jan.12,1915.

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XINVENTQ ED STATE JAMES COOPER, OF YOUNGSTOWN OHIO.

REGENERATOTR FOR HEATING-FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 51% 11915.

Application filed October 14, 1913. Serial No. 795,141.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES COOPER, a citizen of the United States, and resident at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regenerators for Heating-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of regenerative heating furnaces, and more particularly relates to the construction and arrangement of regenerators of the double surface type, largely used with regenerative heating furnaces.

In one form of regenerative heating furnace of the double surface regenerator type which is largely used, the regenerator chamber is positioned immediately beneath the floor of the furnace adjacent to one of its ends. The chamber is provided with a series of regenerator pipes or conduits which have open ends opening without the regenerator chamber. In some cases the products of combustion are led through these pipes in their passage from the furnace to the furnace stack and simultaneously therewith the air or unburned hydrocarbon gases, or both, are caused to pass though the regenerator chamber and contact with the surfaces of the regenerator pipes or conduits. In other cases the operation is reversed and the air is led through the regenerator pipes while the highly heated burnedgases or products of combustion are caused to pass through the regenerator chamber and by contact therewith heat the pipes or conduits to a high temperature and the heated tubes heat the air or unburned gases contacting therewith in its passage to the air and gas inlets on the heating furnace. In such manner the waste heat of the burned gases is caused to highly heat, through the walls of the pipes or conduits, the incoming air or-gases during its or their passage through the regenerators of the furnace.

It is to be understood that the air and unburned gases are heated separately, when both are being heated, separate regenerator chambers being provided therefor.

The pipes or conduits used in forming the regenerators burn out and leak and become otherwise impaired so that after extended use the defective pipes must be removed and repaired or replaced by other pipes or conduits.

In any of the constructions heretofore known to me the renewal and replacement of the pipes or conduits has necessitated practically demolishing the end of a furnace below which the regenerator chamber containing the pipes is located, that is, the furnace roof and the skids or equivalent bottom of the furnace immediately above the chamber containing the regenerator pipes must be removed. The necessity of dismantling or removing such portions of the furnace preparatory to repairing the regenerators has occasioned long delays in the operation of the furnace and has been the cause of considerable expense in material and labor.

One object of my invention is to provide a regenerative furnace having the regenerator chamber and pipes therefor constructed and arranged to permit the removal and replace ment of the pipes or conduits within a minimum time and at comparatively slight expense.

Another object of my invention is to provide a regenerator construction having novel means whereby the removal and replacement of the regenerators within the regenerator chamber is facilitated, the time required in making such removals and replacements is lessened, and the expense of operating the furnace is thereby greatly reduced.

The invention'will be more clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a heating furnace showing the regenerator construction forming this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan showing a detail of one of the dividing plates whereby the pipes or conduits are held in spaced apart relation. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan, taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1, showing the relative position of the regenerator pipes as located within the regenerator chamber ofthe furnace.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the roof of a furnace having an end wall 11 and having inclined water cooled skids 12 located at separated intervals in the width of the furnace which are positioned at the metal receiving end of the furnace to extend above and across the regenerator chamber of the furnace. The spaces 23 between the chamber'is a series of openings 25- leading therefrom into the waste gas flue 14 which is connected to a furnace stack (not shown).

Positioned. to extend lengthwise vertically within the regenerator chamber is a series of regenerator pipes orconduits 16, which are held at spaced apart intervals within the regenerator chamber by means of top plates 18 and bottom plates 19. The side walls 26 of the regenerator chamber and the partition walls 27 therein which are located in line with and immediately below the skids 12 have ledges 20 (see Figs. 1 and 3) at intervals in the height thereofarrang'ed to support the series of spreader plates or separators 20 which, when placed in position within the regenerator chambers, form, with the top plate 18 and bottom plate 19, horizontal division walls or baffles for directing the flow of air through the compart ments 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 of the regenerator chamber and around the pipes within the regenerator chamber.

The top and bottom end of each of the pipes 16 is provided with an open ended cap 17, the ends of the pipes extending into recesses within the caps. The caps 17 on the bottom end of the pipes have a projecting portion extending into the opening in the bottom plate 19 and the caps on the upper end of the pipes are also provided with an annular projection which extends into simi-.

lar openings in the top plate 18. The plates or bafiles 20 have semi-circular or arc-shaped recesses 21 therein of a size somewhat larger than the diameter of the pipes 16, to form annular openings through which the air passes from one to the next compartment of the regenerator chamber. lhese baffles 20 also are provided with flanged side edges 22 off set in such manner as to overlap and partially interlock with the side edge of an ad jacent plate when. in position within the regenerator chamber, and the ends of the plates 20 rest on ledges 20 provided on the faces of the adjacent walls 26 and are sup-. ported thereby. It will be seen from this construction that when the regenerator pipes and caps therefor are placedin position in the regenerator chamber with the plates or baffles in engagement therewith a rigid structure is formed:

In the operation of furnaces having regenerators constructed in accordance with my invention, the parts are preferably assembled as shown. lhe products of combustion pass out of the furnace chamber 24: into the upper compartment 28 of the re generator chamber and then pass downwardly through the openings in the series of pipes 16 and emerge below the bottom plate 19 into the open space forming the compartment 33 at the bottom of the regenerator chamber, passing outwardly there- K from through the openings 25 into the stash flue 1'4: by which the burned ases are led to the stack (not shown). imultaneously wherewith the air or, when gas is to be heat ed, the unburned hydrocarbon gases are led through the fine 13 and passing through the series of openings 34 enter the compartment 32 formed between-the lower row of battle plates 20 and the bottom plate 19.. The air passes therefrom through the annular openings formed by and between the pipes 16 and the edges of the openings in the lower. set of battle plates 20 into the next compartment 31 formed by the lowermost and next row of baffle plates 20 and, successively, through the annular openings. in the bathe plates into the next two compartments 30 and 29 formed in the regenerator chamber between the baffle plates 20 and between the top row of the baflle plates 20 and the top plate 18 then passing out of the openings 35 into the flue 15 bywhich the heated air or gas, as the case may be, is led to the opposite end of the furnace through which end the heated air or gas is introduced into the furnace where it is burned. WVhen, after extended use or for other reasons, the regenerator pipes 16 have become cracked or otherwise damaged and it is necessary to remove and replace one or more of these pipes the operation of the furnace is stopped.

.The end wall 11 used to fill the arched opening provided in the end of the furnace is then removed. The necessary number of the plates 20 at the end of the regenerator chamber are then removed and the regener: ator pipes in the first row of pipes are lifted vertically until the bottom cap 17 is out of engagement with the bottom plate 19, the caps 17 beingconveniently positioned temporarily within the transverse fines 34 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The pipes 16 in the end row of pipes canthenbe lowered separately until the top end thereof is clear or out of engagement with the top plate 18 and each pipe can then be moved into the dotted line position shownin Fig. 1 and from this position lifted out of the furnace regenerator chamber. These operations can then be repeated for such. of the remaining rows of pipes as need repairs or replacement and in this way the renewal of the regenerator pipes is made a simple matter.

In replacing the pipes within the regenerator chamber a reversal of the steps just described is performed, after which the wall 1 11 is rebuilt within the opening in the end wall of the furnace and the furnace is again in readiness to be operated.

It is obvious that modifications in the construction shown can be made without de-' parting from my invention.

The burned gases or products of combustion may be caused to pass around the regenerator pipes and the air to be heated pass through the regenerator pipes, instead of the reverse as illustrated, and other changes may be made within the scope of the apnecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising top and bottom supports, pipes arranged between said supports, and bottom interlocking devices removably engaging said bottom supportand said pipes, the parts being held in interlocking engagement by gravity; substantially as described.

2. In a heating furnace the combination of. a heating chamber, a regenerator below the furnace chamber and a passage connecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising open ended pipes and top and bottom plates,

said plates forming means for supporting said pipes in spaced relation, and interlocking caps engaging said pipes at top and bottom whereby said pipes are-held in engagement with said plates by gravity; substantially as described.

3. In a heating furnace the combination of a heating chamber, a regenerator and a passage connecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising pipes, top and bottom plates having apertures with which said'pipes register, and interlocking caps engaging said pipes and said plates, said pipes being held in enga'ge- I ment with said interlocking caps and said plates by gravity; substantially as described.

4. In a heating furnace the combination of a heating chamber, a regenerator and a passage connecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising pipes, top and bottom plates having apertures reglstering with the passage through said pipes, said top and bottom plates being spaced aparta distance greater than the length of said pipes, and an interlocking device provided at the lower end of each pipe and having a separable connection therewith; substantially as described.

5. In a heating furnace the combination .of a heating chamber, a regenerator and a passage connecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising apertured top and bottom supports, pipes registering with said apertures, and means for removably maintaining said pipes in operative position, said means ineluding caps fitting said pipes and the'apertures in said bottom support; substantially as described.

6. In a heating furnace the combination the combinationof a heating chamber, a regenerator and a passage connecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising apertured top and bottom supports, pipes located between said supports, said pipes being of a length less than the distance between said supports, and bottom interlocking devices, such devices serving I to increase the length of said pipes and provide an interlocking engagement with said support; substantially as described.

7. In a heating furnace the combination of a heating chamber, a double surface regenerator and a passage connecting the bottom of said chamber with the regenerator, said regenerator comprising top and bottom supports, pipes mounted between said sup: ports and removably engaging the same, and intermediate interlocking devices forming caps and servingto maintain said pipes in spaced relation; substantially as described.

8. In a heating furnace the combination of a heating chamber, a regenerator beneath the chamber and a passage connecting the chamber with the regenerator through the bottom of the chamber, said regenerator comprising side and end walls, supports carried by said walls, regenerator pipes mounted between said supports and removably engaging the same whereby said pipes may be displaced and removed from the furnace by first removing the closure in the opening in an end wall thereof; substantially as described.

9. In a heating furnace, a double surface regenerator comprising top and bottom supports, pipes mounted etween said supports and removably engaging therewith intermediate interlocking devices forming caps and serving to maintain said pipes in spaced relation and a bafiie plate between said top and bottom supports, said bafile plate being made in sections with the joints formed by adjacent side edges of the sections in line with the axial centers of the pipes; substan tially as described. 1 e

10. In a heating furnace, a double surface regenerator comprising top and bottom supports, pipes mounted between said supports and removably engaging therewith intermediate interlocking devices forming caps and serving to maintain said pipes in spaced relation and a series of baffle plates between said top and bottom supports, saidbafiie plates being made in sections with the joints formed by adjacent side edges of the sectionsin line with the axial centers of the JAMES COOPER.

Witnesses:

F. E. KLING, R. C. BERGMANF 

